Top 5 Features of Medication Dispensing Cabinets - SimServeRx

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DiaMedical
Published on July 18, 2022 at 11:23:00 AM PDT July 18, 2022 at 11:23:00 AM PDTth, July 18, 2022 at 11:23:00 AM PDT

SimServeRx is an automated medication management system that was designed specifically for healthcare education and training. It provides medication dispensing and administration experiences that are very similar to those used by students in clinical settings. SimServeRx is also designed for instructor convenience with 10 pre-loaded Patient Profiles so the system is ready to use as soon as it arrives on campus. Continue reading to learn more about how these profiles create realistic medication administration experiences for nursing education.

 

1. Complete nursing skills validation for students

The SimServeRx Patient Profiles are simulated patient care scenarios that have been carefully created by the DiaMedical USA Nurse Educators who have over 30 years of experience. Each patient profile starts with the patient diagnosis, health history, vital signs and lab results. Regardless of the thoroughness of the profile, instructors have the ability to manipulate each scenario so that students have interactive questions such as the patient’s code status, mental status, diet and activity. A handy patient worksheet is provided so that students can organize this information and determine which assessments should be performed first when they get to the patient’s bedside.

 

We recommend having students complete a 5-minute nursing care plan for the beginning of the shift with two priority problems, goals and interventions. This activity encourages students to utilize their critical thinking skills to begin the care planning process before they go to the patient’s bedside. The final step is for students to administer the patient’s medications with the SimServeRx Dispensing Cabinet or Advanced Bedside Cart. You can see a live-action demonstration of the Patient Profiles being used with the Advanced Bedside Cart in this Tuesday Teachings video.  

 

2. In depth critical thinking skills with SimServeRx Patient Profiles

Each SimServeRx patient profile includes four medications to be administered to the patient at various times throughout the day. Students must identify the drug class and two main precautions/considerations for each medication along with the reason why it was prescribed for the patient. Then they must determine whether or not it should be administered as written with a rationale for their decision. This is extremely important because some of the medications in the profiles should be discontinued or clarified with the prescriber for a variety of reasons, including drug interactions and allergies. SimServeRx Patient Profiles require students to use their critical thinking skills for medication administration and help dispel the myth that medications should be given just because they are listed on the patient’s MAR.

 

3. It's convenient for instructors 

The SimServeRx Dispensing Cabinets and Advanced Bedside Smart Carts arrive with the 

complete set of 10 Patient Profiles pre-loaded and ready to use. Instructors can simply log into the computer, load the drawers with simulated medications and begin working with students. Medication packages are available for each patient profile to make ordering supplies easy for sim lab coordinators. They provide students with opportunities to practice administering oral, subQ, IM, IV, transdermal, sublingual, inhaled, otic, optic, and nasal medications. The diagnoses in the Patient Profiles were carefully chosen to reflect conditions that students can expect to encounter during their clinical rotations: 

Adrian Andrews - CHF Drew Davies - Diabetes & CADAlex Adams - DVTJamie Johnson - Chest pain rule out MICameron Cooney - Diabetes & HTNRobin Ritter - Acute bronchitisCarroll Cleary - Metastatic breast cancerShannon Sanders - Postoperative hip surgery Chris Crawley - CHF Taylor Thompson - Aspiration pneumonia

 

4. Accurate medication dispensing and administration

Students log into the SimServeRx system and scan the patient’s ID band to access the eMAR just like in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. The eMAR shows all of the scheduled and PRN medications for the patient along with any special directions for administration. For instance, some medications may require students to document the patient’s apical rate, blood pressure or pain level. Students are also required to perform blind counts whenever they remove any controlled substances from the drawers.  

 

An important feature of the SimServeRx system is that students must perform dosage calculations on their own to determine how many tablets or mL are to be administered, as this information is not included in the eMAR. When students open the drawers to access the medications, they must read the labels carefully in order to differentiate between similar medication formulations and dosages. As an example, instructors can place Glargine and Lispro insulin in the same drawer to increase the risk of a medication error. If a student selects the wrong vial, students can be required to complete the medication error report that is included in each patient profile. 

 

5. Additional SimServeRx features 

Because it is designed specifically for training, SimServeRx has a unique Reset feature that allows instructors to run the same medication administration simulation over and over again. This facilitates standardized student experiences for demonstrations, skills validations, and graded simulations. Instructors can also create their own patient profiles based on their curricula, course content and learning needs of their students. The SimServeRx drug library makes this process quick and easy by automatically recognizing all of the simulated medications from SimRx™, DemoDose™ and Wallcur™.  

 

Final Thoughts

SimServeRx is the ideal solution for students in nursing and pharmacy programs to learn how to use automated med dispensing systems. Certainly, the set of 10 pre-programmed Patient Profiles provide plug-and-play convenience for instructors along with opportunities for students to develop their critical thinking skills for medication administration. The DiaMedical USA team is ready to help schools balance cost and functionality in order to find the best SimServeRx option to meet the learning needs of their students. For more information, reach out to a DiaMedical USA expert at 877-593-6011 or info@diamedicalusa.com.